(Le Mars) — A series of lawsuits have been filed by the family members of the victims of a fatal airplane crash involving people from the Le Mars area. The Piper plane piloted by Ed Anderson of Le Mars, crashed into a pasture near Guthrie Center, Iowa, on November 9, 2018. The lawsuit names Ultra Flight L.L.C., an aviation maintenance facility located in Le Mars, and Tom Mullally as its owner, as the defendants. The National Transportation Safety Board issued an investigation report in December of 2018 revealing a two-inch long crack in the engines aft exhaust muffler. The inner surface of the muffler heat shroud was coated in sooty and grey colored deposits. Similar deposits were also present on the inner surface of the cabin heat hose that ducted air from the shroud to the cabin heat distributor box assembly. Toxicology testing performed by the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s office revealed elevated levels of carbon monoxide in the blood of all four occupants. Killed in that plane crash were 49-year old Ed Anderson of Le Mars, 36-year old Patrick Kellen of Le Mars, 15-year old Samantha Clark of Le Mars, and 28-year old Tyler Douvia of Merrill. The lawsuits seek unspecified damages.
